Early Life and Marriage of Emma Smith

Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. Her family was fairly well-off financially, and so Emma was well-educated for a woman of her time. She was a schoolteacher and even owned items of value, including cows. These may have been given as payment for teaching. Her family was religious, devoutly Christian. Everything in her life to adulthood had been designed to prepare her for a comfortable life as the wife of a traditional and probably successful man with a background similar to her own.

Instead, she fell in love with Joseph Smith, the son of a struggling farmer. His family cobbled together a living as best they could, always working hard at their various family industries, but never quite getting ahead. Joseph had completed only a few years of formal schooling, having learned the basics from his father in the years there were no schools nearby and then attending only about three years in a regular school. He was literate, but not enough to write a good letter, much less a book.

Furthermore, he had “unusual ideas about religion” and was the subject of a great deal of gossip. When Joseph Smith was fourteen, he went into the woods to pray about which church to join. God and Jesus Christ appeared to him and instructed him not to join any church, since none had the complete gospel. As a young adult, an angel named Moroni had appeared to him and taught him about a book of ancient scripture that testified of the Bible and of Jesus Christ. It would be called the Book of Mormon, after Moroni’s father, who abridged the ancient record. Moroni and other heavenly messengers would begin the long process of turning Joseph Smith into a prophet of the restored church.

All of this alarmed Emma’s family, even though Joseph was working hard to be worthy of Emma. He continued attending school while also working to help support his family. He was known as a dependable and honest worker, some describing him as the best worker they had ever hired.

Emma eloped with Joseph, since she did not have her family’s support to marry him. They lived with his family and then, for a while, lived with her family.

Emma Smith, Wife of a Prophet

Eventually, Moroni deemed Joseph ready to receive the ancient plates on which the Book of Mormon was written. He went to retrieve them and Emma rode along, remaining in the wagon to pray as he did so.

As the plates were being translated, they were stored under a cloth. She often moved them around as she cleaned, but felt no temptation to look under the cloth, being a woman of extraordinary faith.

Despite his best efforts, Joseph did not write or spell well enough to record the translations he made through inspiration. From time to time, Emma acted as his scribe. One day, as they were working, he looked up in a panic and asked her if the city of Jerusalem had been surrounded by walls. She told him it had been and he was relieved. He hadn’t known, and seeing the words on the plates he was translating, had been afraid he’d been deceived. Eventually, others would offer to scribe, freeing her to care for her home and family.

Emma Smith: A Life with Many Trials

Many of Emma’s children died young, including her first three, all of whom died even before they were named. A set of twins died and she had the opportunity to adopt another set immediately after. Their mother had died in childbirth and the father felt inadequate to care for them alone. One of these twins would die as a result of a mob invasion of their home. The twins were very ill, and shortly after Joseph had sent his wife to bed with the girl twin, who was finally asleep, and then had eventually gone to sleep himself by the other sleeping twin, a mob broke into the house and left the door wide open. They dragged Joseph out into the street and tarred and feathered him.   The little boy was caught in the draft, and already very ill, died soon after. She also lost one child at the age of fourteen months and an additional child within the coming year.

Life was hard for Emma. Losing so many children was heartbreaking enough, but she also lost her home many times. Mobs forced the Mormons from their homes, often in the midst of winter, and many times she was forced to flee with nothing. On occasion she had to escape with the children alone because the mobs continually had Joseph Smith arrested in hopes of destroying The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by removing its leaders from influence.

She often found herself having to live with other people after these upheavals, but she also frequently hosted other homeless people when she was the one with a home. While living in Illinois, a group of free African Americans arrived at her doorstep with bleeding feet and little to their name. They had been denied passage on a boat due to their race after their money for the trip had already been paid, and they had walked from the east coast to reach the Mormon settlement. She was at her door when she saw them coming and quickly brought them into her home and put them at her dinner table to eat with the family. She and Joseph invited them to stay on as guests until they could find jobs and homes. When all but one had been settled, she found the last woman, a teenager named Jane Manning, in tears over her inability to find work. Emma hired the girl herself, providing room and board as well as a salary.

As the president of the women’s auxiliary, known as the Relief Society, and as the wife of the prophet, she spent considerable time nurturing, comforting, and teaching other women, even when she herself was in need of comfort.

Revelation revealed that God considered her an elect lady, a term that is often used by Mormon women today to define how they should live their lives and cope with their trials.

Emma Smith and Polygamy

Emma did not have a long history of Mormon women to use as example. When new situations arose, she was often the first to have to cope with them. One challenge she faced was that of the doctrine of polygamy. She couldn’t turn to her neighbors for advice and comfort on making that revelation work successfully, as later women did.

When God revealed the doctrine of plural marriage to Joseph as part of the “restoration of all things,” Joseph could see the principle in the Book of Mormon, wherein the prophet Jacob explained that it was only acceptable during periods when God ordained it, and it was for the raising up of seed unto God.  Joseph couldn’t accept it or practice it or even reveal it for some years until he was warned and chastised by God.

At the time Joseph Smith was the prophet, only a small number of Latter-day Saints practiced polygamy, and everyone, male and female, struggled with feelings of uneasiness and uncertainty about how to handle it. As we see in the Bible, even the most righteous people in ancient times struggled with the practice. Abraham was forced to send his second family away. His grandson Jacob’s wives struggled with jealousy regularly.

Emma struggled as well. She accepted the revelation initially and worked to become comfortable with it. Then, Emma went back and forth between acceptance and avoidance.  One obvious reason, in addition to the principle’s effect in her private life, was that the Saints were already bitterly persecuted, and it was certain that persecution would increase should the Saints begin to practice plural marriage.  This indeed was the case.

There is no evidence that any children resulted from the plural marriages of Joseph Smith, with one woman writing in her journal that when the marriage was performed, Joseph shook her hand and they both went back to their separate homes. Joseph generally brought another man along to the proposal or asked a relative of the woman to do it for him. There was no courtship or romance involved in the process of finding a new wife. DNA testing has been done on descendants of all children whom critics of the Church believed were the result of Joseph’s other marriages, where there are descendants, and all tests have proven negative. Since Joseph was able to father children, it is clear he saw it as simply a way to join families in the afterlife, not as co-habiting marriage.

Regardless of the format of the marriages, Emma found it increasingly difficult to cope with them. Historian Richard Bushman says they had many deep and intense discussions on the subject and their marriage was severely strained.

Their relationship improved when the temple was completed. She was one of the first to perform the ordinances that allowed Mormons to make covenants to live a Christ-like life and afterwards, she worked in the temple, helping others as they did the same.

Emma Smith’s Life after Joseph Smith’s Murder

Despite her worries over polygamy, Emma continued to support Joseph Smith in his work as the prophet and to testify of him in that role. She cared for him and grieved mightily at his death. She took a lock of his hair from his body and wore it the rest of her life. Stories tell that she dreamed of him and their mansion in heaven shortly before her death, and that his name was on her lips at the time of her death.

Her actions after his death are one reason some Mormons have struggled to understand her. She was left with five children in a time when the Mormons were in great danger. She quickly realized her financial situation was complicated by the fact that in those early days of the Church, the family’s money and property was mingled with church property, something no longer done. It was unclear just what belonged to her and what belonged to the Church, particularly since Joseph often used his own money to support church needs, a practice that had generated debts she found herself responsible for.

She and Brigham Young, the new Mormon prophet, had disagreements over what she had a right to take and what belonged to the Church. She held onto some of the properties as a way to support herself and her children, but the struggle created a rift between her and church leaders, as well as some church members. Everyone in the Church was on edge as they realized they would have to flee once again and everyone feared for his or her life. This made people less considerate of her challenges than they might have been under normal circumstances.

As she found herself alienated from many church members, and because her health was poor, she chose to remain behind when the Mormons fled to Utah. Joseph’s mother also remained behind due to age and health. Over the years, Emma would help to care for Joseph’s mother. However, she initially left the city because she and her children were in danger from those who had killed her husband. When she returned, she struggled to support her family using the properties she owned.

She married Major Lewis Bidamon, a military man who was not Mormon but who had supported the Mormons during the attacks on them. He was the father of an illegitimate child. When he fathered another illegitimate child during their marriage, she took the child in and raised it as her own.

When Joseph Smith was murdered, some people had fought for control of the Church. One small group argued that the role of prophet and president ought to be handed down from father to son. Emma’s son was too young to fill the role, so these men decided to operate a splinter group from the Church in trust for him until he was of age.

He initially resisted their attempts. Emma had taught her children the Bible and Book of Mormon at home, but had avoided becoming associated with any other church. However, her son eventually agreed to head up the church that had been held for him. Emma dutifully joined, but never became active in the church. This church became known as The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is today known as The Community of Christ and is an evangelical church.  Over the years it has pulled farther and farther away from its origins.  It has about 250,000 members.

Evaluations of Emma Smith are colored by the expectations and motives of those who study her. Some Mormons want her to be perfect, an unrealistic expectation for any person, but particularly for one who faced so many complications and who was forced to pave a new path with no prior examples to follow. Non-Mormons often want her to serve as some sort of “proof” the Church was false. Either expectation is unfair to Emma and avoids the simple truth that she was a complex person who didn’t always live up to her own expectations for herself. She was thrown into a life for which she was little prepared and had to create her own path. She did the best she could under extraordinary circumstances. She retained her testimony of Joseph Smith all her life, even after she remarried. She struggled, as all people struggle, to fit her life to the expectations of God for His children, but she was noted as a kind and caring woman. Her mother-in-law stated that no other woman had endured so many trials with so much grace.

Mormons today are taught to honor and respect her, accepting that she was less than perfect, but acknowledging her essential contributions to the gospel, both in her own church work and in her support of her husband throughout his lifetime. Today, many of her descendants are returning to the church Joseph Smith led and are helping us to see them as real and complex people.

Sources:

Turley, Richard E., and Brittany A. Chapman. “A Comfort unto My Servant, Joseph.” Women of Faith in the Latter Days. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2011. 343-362. Print.

Bushman, Richard L., and Jed Woodworth. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Print.

Most of the descriptions of the process of translating the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ have been provided by those who helped the prophet, Joseph Smith, as scribes.  Joseph would translate aloud, and the scribe would write down what he said.  Joseph did explain the use of the Urim and Thumim (in Hebrew, “lights and perfections”).  The Urim and Thummim were essentially seer stones used in Old Testament times, and surely before and after.  They were mounted on a “bow” secured to a breastplate, and are described as part of the sacred clothing of Aaron, the brother of Moses.  They were handed down from prophet to prophet and found by Joseph Smith in the stone box which contained the gold plates from which he translated. Thus, a way was provided for translation along with the record itself.  As far as use for translation was concerned some Jewish scholars claim one of the two stones showed the word in translation and the other showed its meaning.  Others say the stones were oracles that provided a yes or no answer. [1]  Joseph also possessed a single seer stone, still in the possession of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church. [2]  It appears that Joseph only used the stones until he was proficient at receiving direct revelation from God ((Report of) “Two Days’ Meeting at Brigham City June 27 and 28, 1874,” Millennial Star 36:32, August 11, 1874, 499).

Joseph’s wife, Emma Hale Smith, served as his scribe for a time, and she reported in 1870, “Now the first that my husband translated was translated by the use of Urim and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost. After that he used a small stone, not exactly black, but was rather a dark color . . . ” [2]  Oliver Cowdery served the longest as Joseph’s scribe and defended Joseph in 1830. “Oliver Cowdery ‘testified under oath, that said Smith found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates.’” [2]  He also said, “Day after day I continued uninterrupted to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record, called the book of Mormon.” [2]

Some have derided Joseph Smith by saying he put his seer stone into a hat and hid his face in it to exclude the light.  To some this sounds clownish enough to discredit him as a prophet, but this report came from David Whitmer, who never did witness the process of translation, so it is unreliable at best.  The translation process took effort, and when Oliver Cowdery tried it, he failed, because he expected to receive without that effort.  Said Mormon scholar Stephen D. Ricks:

“…the means at Joseph’s disposal (the seerstone and the interpreters) enhanced his capacity to understand the basic meanings of the words and phrases of the book as well as to grasp the relation of these words to each other. However, the actual translation was Joseph’s alone and the opportunity to improve it in grammar and word choice still remained open. All who have had experience in translating are aware of the often considerable cleavage between being able to construe a sentence and actually rendering it in a felicitous translation. All who have translated are also keenly aware that it is a rare translation which cannot be improved. Thus, while it would be incorrect to minimize the divine element in the process of translation of the Book of Mormon, it would also be misleading and potentially hazardous to deny the human factor.” [2]

Corrections to The Book of Mormon?

Of course!  The Book of Mormon came forth in essentially one long run-on sentence.  Joseph had only about 3 years of primary school education, and his wife Emma said he could barely compose a proper sentence when he was called by God to be the prophet.  His remarkable growth over the years amazes those who read his history.  Though unschooled, he not only had a superior intellect, but was taught thoroughly from On High, and brought forth knowledge more profound than any other earthly philosopher or religious leader, and brought forth more scripture than any other prophet who has ever lived.  Some who deride Joseph and The Church of Jesus Christ exclaim that there have been 4,000 changes made to the Book of Mormon.  Since there were originally no chapters or verses in the sacred text, we would reply, “Is that all?”

How Long Did It Take to Translate the Book of Mormon?

Some claim that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, while others claim he plagiarized parts.  These claims were debunked long ago, but still rear their ugly heads.  With virtually no resources available in the frontier, and with such little education, how long would it take Joseph Smith, who was constantly in flight from continuous persecution, and who had huge challenges at home (including the death of a child, illness of his wife, stolen pages of the manuscript), to write or to plagiarize the book (531 pages)?   Joseph’s wife Emma testified that Joseph never had any other text with him when he translated.

Joseph translated most of the book between April 7 and June 30, 1929.  Before that, it had taken him a considerable amount of time to complete the first 116 pages, which were “borrowed” and then lost by Martin Harris.  Joseph did not re-translate those pages, because the Lord provided like material in another part of the plates, foreseeing the situation.

The translation was a staggering achievement. It was completed within eighty-five days, from 7 April to 30 June. Of course, not all of that time was spent working on the translation. The Prophet and his scribes also took time to eat, to sleep, to seek employment (once, for money when supplies ran out), to receive the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, to make at least one (and possibly two) trips to Colesville, thirty miles away, to convert and baptize Hyrum and Samuel Smith (who came to Harmony at that time); to receive and record thirteen revelations that are now sections of the Doctrine and Covenants; to move from Harmony to Fayette; to acquire the Book of Mormon copyright; to preach a few days and baptize several near Fayette; to experience manifestations with the Three and Eight Witnesses; and to begin making arrangements for the Book of Mormon’s publication. [3]

The Book of Mormon Translation Could Only Have Been Accomplished with God’s Help

From the surviving portions of the Original Manuscript it appears that Joseph dictated about a dozen words at a time. Oliver would read those words back for verification, and then they would go on. Emma later added that after a meal or a night’s rest, Joseph would begin, without prompting, where he had previously left off (The Saints’ Herald 26 [Oct. 1, 1879]:290). No time was taken for research, internal cross-checking, or editorial rewriting. In 1834 Oliver wrote: “These were days never to be forgotten-to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth as he translated” (Messenger and Advocate 1 [Oct. 1834]:14). [4]

Internal Proofs of the Book of Mormon

Yes, there are archaeological proofs for the Book of Mormon, and those increase in number all the time.  But there are remarkable internal proofs as well.  The perfection of geographical references, consistency in the use of names, and Hebraic poetic style are just a few:

…circumstantial evidence in the English text suggests that the translation was quite precise. For example, the independent and identical translations of 1 Nephi 1:8 and of Alma 36:22 (precisely quoting twenty-one of Lehi’s words in 1 Nephi 1:8) typify the internal accuracy manifested in this long and complex record. Moreover, several formulaic terms, Hebraisms, stylistic indications of multiple authorship, varieties of parallelism and extended chiasmus (see Book of Mormon Authorship; Book of Mormon Literature), as well as certain Semitic proper names and some textual variants, not at all evident from the King James Bible, corroborate the claim that the translation was faithful to a consistent underlying text. [4]

Additional Resources: Read the Book of Mormon online

Learn More about Joseph Smith

http://youtu.be/ByJY-N85i7s http://youtu.be/CCdiiSqqp60

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: So…Will You Dance Before Akish?

Sister Dalton was the General Young Women’s President almost the entire time I was in Young Women’s (an organization of Latter-day Saint girls ages 12 to 18). I absolutely love that woman. So in honor of her in lieu of her recent release, I would like to talk about virtue for this post.

In one of the scenarios that led to the destruction of the Jaredite nation, Jared lost control of the kingdom. His daughter, seeing his sorrows, came up with a plan to regain the kingdom for her father (Ether 8:8-9). This plan involved convincing one Akish to teach them secret combinations passed down from Cain. She said: “Behold, I am fair, and I will dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife” (Ether 8:10).

The real tragedy here is that she is willing to lose her virtue and purity—willing to put her body on display and use it to initiate a bargain—all in the name of love for her father. One amazing attribute of womanhood, is our tender and compassionate hearts. Unfortunately, this characteristic is often accompanied by the need to be loved. I have witnessed too many young women change their hair, personality, standards, etc,because they “love” their boyfriends and want to please them. And this doesn’t just happen in romantic situations. Like in the Jaredite story, many girls also lose part of their virtue to protect their relationship with their fathers. For example, they might lie about where they were the other night to avoid disappointing them. For subconsciously in a woman’s mind, disappointment surely leads to abandonment, and abandonment means their need for love will not be met.

Women, it is time for us to stand our ground! No longer can we sacrifice our virtue as we give in to our fears. No, we must return to virtue as Sister Dalton has admonished us. We must find fulfillment and love in Christ. We must remain clean and pure, for surely we need the power that comes from living a virtuous life when facing the day- to-day challenges that come.

So, decide right here and right now: will you dance before Akish?

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: Open Your Umbrellas–Brace Yourself for the Storm!

I’m so excited for this weekend because of the amazing blessing that General Conference is! Ever since last October it seems that the Lord’s work is picking up and progressing more than ever before. In class Brother Griffen mentioned something that I thought was very interesting. He said to picture General Conference as a big umbrella. The brethren who speak have to make it very general to all of us, since people all around the world are watching and listening to their message–hence the part of the umbrella that shelters “everybody”. However, it is our job to take what the brethren say and make it specific to us by putting a “handle” on the umbrella and making it personal to our own lives. So I challenge you to do that!

This week we talked about the chapters of the book of Ether. My favorite concept was in chapter 6 when Mahonri (again, the brother of Jared) and the others were in the barges, and they were headed towards the promised land. I didn’t realize that the Jaredites were in these barges for 344 days! Can you believe the faith they had? In verse 5 it says that God caused “a furious wind.” Then in verse 6 it says that they continued to progress and the storms/tempests became even fiercer. It’s interesting to think that after all of the work these people had to go through in order to build these barges in the first place that Heavenly Father would bring such strife and hardship to them as they were out on the waters.

Trials in our lives helps us learn and humble ourselves.

We could relate this to our own lives. Even as we are striving to do what’s right, a “storm” hits us and brings us trials and tribulation. I know many wonder why God gives us these obstacles to overcome, and my testimony has been strengthened understanding why. God is trying to speed up our learning! Notice how in the next verse (verse 8) it says, “And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters.” Even though they were going through hard times, they were progressing. Whenever we have things that are pulling us down and we continue to keep going—that’s when we make the most spiritual progress and learn! We become humble and more receptive to the Spirit. Heavenly Father simply wants us to reach our destination faster.

My heart was softened when I read that after these tumultuous storms, the Jaredites and Mahonri literally “sang praises” and thanked the Lord all day long, realizing the Lord’s intentions of getting them to their destination faster. Bursting with thankful hearts, they offered up prayers of gratitude.

I have a testimony of the purpose of trials. I know that if we make the most of them and keep stepping forward with a smile on our face, we can get through anything and bless others on the way! Remember that as you go and preach the gospel.

If these reflections helped you, or if you have any questions or comments, I would be happy to hear from you.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: How God Answers Prayers

One of the lessons that can be learned in the first few chapters of Ether is that God answers prayers in three different ways: 1) If there is something that we are unable to do ourselves, He performs an act, often miraculous, that solves our problem; 2) He tells us how to solve our own problems by giving us step-by-step instructions; 3) He allows us to use our agency to try and solve our problems.

In the story of the Jaredites (an ancient people living during the time of the tower of Babel), God answered the prayers of the people to not confound their language. Unlike those building a tower to heaven, the Jaredites and their kindred were able to continue to communicate with each other. Though it was beyond their capacity, God had miraculously preserved their language.

The Lord can and will answer prayers.

After this people was lead by God through the wilderness to the ocean on their way to a promised land, the Lord instructed them in a step-by-step process on how to build barges that would carry them across the ocean. He told them how to craft them and how to solve a few of the engineering issues regarding them, such as a lack of air. The Jaredites had to build these barges according to specifications, but God gave them information they couldn’t get on their own.

Upon building the barges according to specifications, the brother of Jared discovered that the barges had no light. Upon asking the Lord for instruction, the Lord told the brother of Jared that he should think of a way to solve this problem. The brother of Jared fashioned sixteen stones to look almost like glass and asked the Lord to touch them so that they might emit light for the barges. The brother of Jared did everything he could within His power to solve his problem, and the Lord saw his offering, accepted it, and provided the Jaredites with that which they could not provide themselves.

I have experienced all three kinds of answers to my prayers. I know that God answers every single one of our prayers, because He always answers mine. I can’t always tell how He will answer.

If you are reading this post and have any questions or comments, I would be happy to hear from you.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: Pray, He Loves You

Heavenly Father loves us. He loves all of his sons and daughters. This means that he loves you, me, your next-door neighbor, and everyone else. We are literally Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters, and Heavenly Father has a fatherly love for all of us.

We can speak to God through prayer.

Most of the interactions and stories in the Book of Mormon come from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who appears unto the prophets in a vision. He is the one who visits the people in the America’s after He was resurrected, and He gives many commandments and teachings to the people in the Book of Mormon, as well as us. Heavenly Father loves our elder brother and His son Jesus Christ, so He gave Him almost all responsibility for all His children (us) on earth. But the one thing He didn’t give to only Jesus Christ is prayer.We pray to our Father in Heaven. I think this is amazing. We have a loving Father who wants to hear from us. He gave up everything to Jesus, but didn’t give away that sacred experience to communicate with us here on earth.

Our Father in Heaven loves us and wants to hear from us. He wants that connection with us where He can listen to our thoughts and words being directed to Him. Sometimes prayer can be taken lightly and put low on our priority list. As college students here at BYU, I want us to imagine what our earthly father would think if we never called him, or if we did call him, we never acted interested in talking and never put in real effort to communicate. I know my dad would be very sad. We need to have deep, thought-out prayers with our Father. He is listening and we are actually communicating with Him! He wants to hear from us, and He wants to help us. I know that as we pray to our Heavenly Father, we will feel His deep love for us.

If these reflections helped you, or if you have any questions or comments, I would be happy to hear from you.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Joseph Smith was the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The members of this church, sometimes referred to as Mormons, consider the Book of Mormon to be a companion book to the Bible and a second witness of Jesus Christ. It was translated from plates written anciently and hidden away by a man named Moroni until Moroni, now an angel, led Joseph to the plates and tutored him in preparation for the restoration of the gospel. The plates were written in reformed Egyptian and the methods in which they were translated have been a popular topic of discussion. There has also been discussion about the errors in the book, which some mistakenly believe invalidate the record. Skousen’s research helps readers to better understand how the book came into being in modern times.

Mormons do not have the original plates on which the book was written, just as we no longer have the original scrolls on which the Bible were written. While the Biblical scrolls were lost or destroyed, the Book of Mormon plates were taken back into protective care by Moroni. The lack of both original records—those of the Bible and of the Book of Mormon—force us to act on faith and also challenge us to know what is true in comparison to the original records.

The original manuscript was written largely by scribes, who put into writing what Joseph Smith saw and translated to them verbally. Joseph had minimal education, as did many in the`1830s. Long after his wife had remarried and moved on to an apostate group, she said he did not have the skills to create the Book of Mormon or even to write the translation he carried out. The translation was made possible through the help of the Holy Ghost.

One challenge facing researchers is that most of the original transcription is gone. 116 pages were lost when his scribe took them to show his wife and they were stolen. However, this was actually prophesied in the Book of Mormon and had been prepared for. God had assigned the son of the first writer to record some of the same information in his own record, although he admitted that he didn’t know why he needed to do that.

The first draft of the manuscript was placed in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House in 1841. Unfortunately, when it was retrieved in 1882, most of it was ruined by water and mold. Only 28 percent is still extant and most of it is now owned by the Church.

A printer’s manuscript had been prepared based on the original and the Church of Christ owns all of that manuscript. They are a group that broke away from the main church after Joseph Smith died. The printer used the printer’s manuscript for all but the sections found in Helaman 13 through the end of Mormon. The remaining section is based on the original transcription copy.

Anytime manuscripts are written by a scribe or copied by hand, there are errors. This is why various Biblical manuscripts that have been uncovered are not identical. Skousen found that the scribes changed on average one or two things per page. These were textual changes affecting spelling of names or alteration of wording. Then the printer made additional errors in the typesetting, although he also made a sincere effort to correct them as he went. It was simply a difficult task that lent itself to errors.

In 1837, Joseph Smith himself did some editing for the next edition, in order to put it into more standard English.  He edited again in 1840 and this time he restored some phrases that had been missed in the copying process.

The errors that have crept into the manuscript are simply the usual problems of any book—typos, miscopied words, missing words. They do not affect the teachings of the book. The newest edition of the book clears up some of these problems. The truthfulness of God’s word is not based on the number of typos, but on the message contained within His books.

Read more about the project to study the Book of Mormon translation.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: Is Seeing Really Believing?

Often times, we hear the catchphrase, “Seeing is believing.” Is that really true though? I mean true, often times seeing something will make you believe in it. But there are exceptions to every rule. For example, illusionists and magicians play on this and make people believe that they are doing supernatural things when really they are just using methods and practiced techniques to play tricks on the eyes. On the other hand, belief does not have to be tied to sight. Faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is the perfect example. More times than not, we will not get a miraculous revelation where angels minister or we see heavenly beings in order for us to believe that they exist. We must rely on faith first and believe that these things are true first, and then we will be more likely to receive such revelation. The Nephites did this very thing after Christ came to visit them in 3 Nephi 11 after his resurrection. They came forth and touched his hands and feet where the nails had pierced through on the cross. Then they went forth crying, “Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!” and worshiped Him. But did they worship Him and believe in Him after they physically saw Him and touched His wounds? No. They had already believed in Him and had faith in Him. How can we assume that seeing is the only way to build faith when in fact it would not even be faith? Joseph Smith was given a revelation that told us that those who ask for signs to ‘confirm’ their belief are adulterers. We have to grow our own testimony based on faith, and it is possible. Seeing is not always believing.

Yours,

Kristin

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw and David J. Larsen have written a multi-part article for The Interpreter online, showing these connections, called “Ancient Affinities within the LDS Book of Enoch.”  This summary comes from Part 2 of their treatise.
Ancient texts cited by Bradshaw and Larsen refer to “gibborim and the nephilim,” sometimes assumed to be giants.  However, theses are best described as mighty warriors.  “In his Enoch writings, Joseph Smith specifically differentiated the “giants” from Enoch’s other adversaries.”  Both the Book of Moses from Joseph Smith and the Book of Giants from Qumran speak of wars and bloodshed.  Both texts also refer to mysterious covenants and alliances meant to spread works of violence and wickedness.  These are akin to references in the Book of Mormon to “secret combinations,” with Satan as their author, which have been on the earth since Cain, and which hold the secret of being able to murder to get gain.  Involved in these wicked oaths is Mahijah, whose identity and Hebrew name Joseph Smith could not have come up with without revelation, as he hadn’t the ability nor the sources.

“In preaching to the people, the Enoch of the Book of Moses refers to a ‘book of remembrance’ (Moses 6:46), in which the words of God and the actions of the people were recorded. Correspondingly, in the Book of the Giants, a book in the form of “two stone tablets”42  is given by Enoch to Mahujah to stand as a witness of “their fallen state and betrayal of their ancient covenants.”43  In the Book of Moses, Enoch says the book is written “according to the pattern given by the finger of God” (Moses 6:46). This may allude to the idea that a similar record of their wickedness is kept in heaven44 as attested in 1 Enoch: “Do not suppose to yourself nor say in your heart, that they do not know nor are your unrighteous deeds seen in heaven, nor are they written down before the Most High. Henceforth know that all your unrighteous deeds are written down day by day, until the day of your judgment.”

Thus we see that a Book of Remembrance was kept to record the acts of both the righteous and the wicked.  Enoch calls the wicked to repentance in such a way that they quake and weep.  Enoch’s power strikes them with fear.  The Book of Moses explains what happened when the only-temporarily penitent warriors begin to attack the people of Enoch:

“And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness” (Moses 7:13).

Both the Book of Giants and the Book of Moses record the roar of wild beasts as Enoch used his priesthood power to remodel the landscape.

Weeping and Exaltation

In the Book of Moses, three people weep for the wicked—God, the Heavens, and Enoch.  Meanwhile, the earth mourns.  The following, from the Jewish Midrash Rabbah, parallels the account in the Book of Moses:

At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, wept and said, “Woe is Me! What have I done? I caused my Shekhinah to dwell below on earth for the sake of Israel; but now that they have sinned, I have returned to My former habitation. . . .” At that time Metatron [who is Enoch in his glorified state] came, fell upon his face, and spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Sovereign of the Universe, let me weep, but do Thou not weep.” He replied to him: “if thou lettest Me not weep now, I will repair to a place which thou hast not permission to enter,90 and will weep there,” as it is said, “But if ye will not hear it, My soul shall weep in secret for pride” [Jeremiah 13:17].

In the Book of Moses, God takes up the righteous City of Enoch to remove it from the polluting presence of the wickedness on earth.  Theologian Terence Fretheim has written about Enoch’s being taken into the presence of God.  Enoch becomes part of a divine counsel, and this is the divine spark in man, the theophany of prophets that seems to have been deleted from much of our existent scripture.  Most of us don’t realize how willing God is to connect us with heaven when we have an eye single to His glory.  Says Fretheim, “The prophet becomes a party to the divine story; the heart and mind of God pass over into that of the prophet to such an extent that the prophet becomes a veritable embodiment of God.”

The pseudepigraphal Enoch literature has much in common with Joseph Smith’s Book of Moses in talking of Enoch’s gaining access to the divine throne of God.

Charles Mopsik concludes that the exaltation of Enoch is not meant to be seen as a singular event. Rather he writes that the “enthronement of Enoch is a prelude to the transfiguration of the righteous—and at their head the Messiah—in the world to come, a transfiguration that is the restoration of the figure of the perfect Man.”

In Moses 7:35, God identifies Himself as “Man of Holiness.”  This corresponds with other references in scripture, where prophets speak with God “face to face.”  God is not some nebulous spirit.  In the Book of Moses, He predicts His Only Begotten in the flesh as a separate being, not Himself, incarnate:

“Man of Holiness is [God’s] name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time” (Moses 6:57).

Enoch and the Temple

Late Mormon scholar, Hugh Nibley, said the following:

“…in the center of a study of matters dealing with initiation in the literature of Israel.” Enoch is the great initiate who becomes the great initiator. . . .113 The Hebrew book of Enoch bore the title of Hekhalot, referring to the various chambers or stages of initiation in the temple.114 Enoch, having reached the final stage, becomes the Metatron to initiate and guide others. “I will not say but what Enoch had Temples and officiated therein,” said Brigham Young, “but we have no account of it.”115  Today we do have such accounts.

The City of Enoch was called Zion, meaning “the pure in heart.”  In a Zion society, everyone sees eye to eye, there are no poor, and there are no wicked.  The reward for the pure in heart is that they shall see God.  This can happen while men are In the flesh, if they are prepared.  Enoch and all of his people were indeed prepared.

“Therefore,” the Lord told Joseph Smith, “sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. Remember the great and last promise which I have made unto you” (D&C 88:68–69).

The Book of Moses

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormonism: Who Am I to Judge My Brother?

Excerpt from an email to a non-member:

I realize this week that I made a mistake in ignoring some of my friends. Yes, they had done some things that were pretty mean and disappointing, and for a long time I felt justified in refusing to acknowledge them.  I thought that perhaps by seeing my reaction they would realize their mistake. But I have been reading so many scriptures lately that have made me realize that I’m approaching it all wrong! I love it when I am reading the scriptures with something else worrying me, and then suddenly verses that I’ve read hundreds of times before suddenly take on an entirely different meaning and strength. For example: “Judge not that ye be not judged” (3 Nephi 14:1). That hit me pretty hard. I was spending all of this time trying to pick out why I was justified in withholding my friendship when, in reality, that wasn’t helping anyone. Both of us just end up losing a friend and poisoning ourselves with bitterness and regret. The verse that really sealed the message though read: “But behold, I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you” [or your friends] (Matthew 5:44). It makes so much sense, when it is put that way! When I thought about it I realized that, yes, it might seem counter-effective to continue treating these people with respect and even love when all I wanted to do was withhold love as a sort of punishment. But who am I to judge? Who am I to say that because someone makes one or even many mistakes it means that they’ve completely stopped trying to be better. One of my favorite lines from a hymn reads: Who am I to judge another/When I walk imperfectly?/In the quiet heart is hidden /Sorrow that the eye can’t see. There has to be a deeper reason than spite that explains why my old friends are acting this way. And if I ignore them, leave them and show my dislike for them, I’ll probably just make it worse. The Savior never did that. He forgave everyone, even the cruelest of men who crucified Him and scorned his followers. He always saw individuals not for who they were but for what they could become. I want to do that. I’ve been trying to reinitiate my friendship with several of those people, because in the end, that will be much more fulfilling than just giving up on them.  That would be the more Christ-like thing to do.

If this has struck a chord with you, I would welcome your questions or comments.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs